This is based on a science fiction novel called A
Princess of
Mars, part of an 11 volume series of books from author Edgar Rice
Burroughs. In
the film a Civil War veteran named John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is meant
to have
died in the late 1800s on Earth. His body is said to be in a locked
away and
instructions are given to his nephew Edgar (Daryl Sabara) to protect
it. This
is because John has actually been transported to the planet Mars, or
'Barsoom'
as it is called here, while his real body remains on Earth. Two human
groups
are fighting against each other on the red planet for the city of
Helium. The
baddies are led by Sab Than (Dominic West) who has been given a
powerful weapon
by some mysterious teleporting men, including Matai Shang (Mark
Strong). With
this powerful device and some massive airships Sab says that he will
spare the
city if he can have the hand of the princess Dejah (Lynn Collins).
Meanwhile,
John Carter also finds himself on 'Barsoom' too with increased agility
that
allows him to jump great heights. He also meets a talking alien
species,
Barsoomian warriors who are barbarians that take him in. Carter finds
an ally
in one of them named Tars Tarkas (voiced by Willem Dafoe) and with the
help of
these aliens Carter has to try and save the princess.

Confused? The director Andrew Stanton, the man behind
such Pixar
films as Wall-E (2008)and Finding
Nemo (2003), opts to throw you into the deep end here. The film
holds your
head underwater, all the while boring you with its own philosophical
ramblings
regarding time travel. Or maybe not. This level of self-importance
masks what
is essentially another 'save the princess' story. The film, which was a
Disney
production, is rumoured to have been passed on from several directors,
undergone length reshoots, hedged back from a rough-cut that was said
to be
three hours long and the victim of an inflated budget too . I have
little doubt
about the authenticity of some of these rumours because as shown John Carter is ridiculously bloated,
running unjustifiably over two hours long, with fleeting strands that
make
little sense to the uninitiated. I am not familiar in the slightest
with the
11-volume Barsoom series and after this film I don't have any great
desire to
read them. As somewhat of a safety net and a relief, the film reminded
me a lot
of Thor (2011). Both films mix magic
and technology and take place in contrasting worlds. But what's missing
here
though is clarity of theme, purpose and the playful self-referencing.
The fans
of the graphical novel are likely to take this film, and perhaps this
review, apart
as they will know the ins and outs of what this film is about. I wish
the film
had the same insight because I could make little sense of its
existence,
particularly in terms of style and character. The film shifts not only
between
time and place, which is confusing enough, but also drastically in tone
as
well. It is at times cartoonish, as Carter flies through the air and
lands with
a thud, but then incredibly melodramatic as characters rattle off
long-winded
speeches.

There is no consistency to the film's art style either.
At one
moment the film is playing cowboys and Indians, then cowboys and aliens
(it was
going to come up eventually) then opting to mix time periods together.
People
are flying around on these airships dressed what looks like Roman
soldiers. Why?
There are even some gladiatorial references as the aliens seem to be a
barbaric
lot that enjoy public spectacle. If they were cinemagoers that might
enjoy a
film like John Carter and perhaps make
more sense of it. On top of all this the characters, announcers rather,
are
incredibly elusive, particular Mark Strong. They are unaided by paper thin characterisation. Physicality
aside, John Carter is not much of a hero because he favours growling
over
genuine personality but this is less important when Dejah is introduced
as she
is far more active and driven than most female characters of this kind,
which
is pleasing. Dominic West is still yet to find a cinematic vehicle that
gives
him the same level of charisma and hilarious smugness as his character
in The Wire. A lot of his talents go to
waste here when he could have had a lot of fun as the villain. On the
plus side
the film looks great, though in no part thanks to the 3D. Once again
the extra
dimension servers to line the pockets of Hollywood, rather than adding
anything
significant on the screen. It suffers particularly in the dark scenes
because
the glasses absorb any of the light from the screen. But at least the
large
open plains look outstanding when the film is in its cowboys faze, with
high
contrast lighting giving warmth and some visible depth to the screen.
Superior
animation also gives the creatures both expression and weight too. If I
had to
use my film critics powers of analyse and deduction, I would say that
at its core
the film is about the timeless nature of global conflicts, shared
between man
and...never mind, let's just cut to another spaceship blowing up.